GT Newsletter
December 2017
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children
Events:
First Grade
The young engineers in first grade have been immersed in Robots, Robots! Part of their short study revolves around how robots are used today and in the future leading up to an ethical discussion of the pros and cons of robotics. They used ChatterKids to share thoughts about how they would use a robot to complete tasks that were boring after examining how robot are used in industry and other labor intense fields.
In addition, the children have been exploring building and programming robots using the WeDo sets with the laptops. Some of the children have background in programming which has helped them move at a faster pace through some science challenges using the robots. They recently tested cams and the changes that result in changes in the direction of the cams on the robots. They also had fun programming for a bird “Dance Contest” after experimenting with gears and wheels.
I have started something new to build curiosity. On occasion, as a warm up for class, they are introduced to a photo or a very short video clip and asked to “wonder” about what they saw. They are not permitted to tell about what they saw, only ask questions. I learned about this strategy at a recent training with Ian Byrd. Building curiosity can enhance learning when used at the onset of a learning situation.
Second Grade - Fifth Grade
The children in second thru fifth grade are participating in a study of film, Film Festival. This is new for grades 2-4. They all started by looking at short films made by students from last year’s “iPadpalooza Youth Film Festival”, zooming in on the 3 categories of film in the contest and thinking about what they liked in a film. After pondering what they thought made a “good” film, they delved deeper into film techniques such as “Rule of Thirds” and film shots. I don’t think I have seen so much laughter as when they were filming mini-clips of the different kinds of film shots. Fourth and fifth grade children had the bonus of a guest speaker, Mr. Adam Musil, Nick’s dad, who shared his expertise on shots and the value of storyboarding.
They’ll take two short side trips this month, one to make a micro-documentary and one to explore aspects of stop motion animation that are new to them. Once we get the official rules from the film contest hosted by Eanes (not iPadpalooza), we’ll decide whether to keep going or take a short break to start their next units and then return so that they have time to think about a great storyline for the film contest.
All four grade levels are using Google Classroom as a conduit for sharing information and opinions. They have become quite adept at switching between apps and using the resources posted in Google classroom. This venue also allows for everyone to share and promotes positive digital citizenship.
Fifth Grade Stock Market
The Stock Market Games ends on December 8th and the children wait with baited breath to see the final results. Some teams have maintained high rankings and some have fluctuated throughout the game. It has been such an amazing learning experience to participate in this virtual game online.